Four Important Numbers for the LA Clippers This Year
51.1
Our next important number is 51.1.
That’s how many points in the paint the Clippers allowed last year, which was good for 23rd in the league. That’s not a good number, and it’s one that is going to have to be better if the Clippers want to hoist the Larry O’Brien this year.
Think of the teams we’re likely to see on a championship push. In the West, we’re probably looking at teams like the Lakers, the Rockets, the Nuggets. If we make it to the Finals, from the East it’ll almost certainly be the 76ers or the Bucks.
That’s an opponent list that includes Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo. That’s a murderer’s row for a team that can’t defend the paint.
Some linear combination of the following has to happen:
- Doc coaches out of his mind and schemes a better interior defense
- Ivica Zubac continues to bulk up and greatly improves his rim protection
- A midseason trade happens to bring in an interior defender
- Rookie Mfiondu Kabengele shows up ready to contribute on the defensive side immediately.
I don’t know which of those will happen, but something (and preferably multiple of the options) has to.
I’m not singing all doom and gloom on our defense. There’s a ton of time and a lot of paths to better interior defense for the good guys. But if we continue to struggle to protect the paint, that’s going to open up a lot of drive and dash opportunities that will be tough to overcome.